Connecticut Lawmakers Move Closer To Sandy Hook Changes

Connecticut lawmakers, facing pressure to address the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, are closing in on recommending possible changes to state laws and policies affecting guns, school security and mental health. Three subcommittees to a legislative task force are in the process of identifying areas of consensus in hopes of holding a vote this month or early March. Deliberations come as hundreds of gun control advocates are expected to descend on the state Capitol Thursday, demanding changes to Connecticut's gun laws. Democratic and Republican legislative leaders are expected to attend the rally, as well as family members of Sandy Hook victims and survivors of other mass shootings.On Wednesday, the school safety subcommittee received some final recommendations from two experts who said not all security measures need to be expensive.

Hundreds Expected At Gun Control Rally

Hundreds of people are expected to rally at the Connecticut state Capitol, voicing their support for gun control measures in light of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown. A grassroots group called March for Change is organizing the 11 a.m. event on the north steps on Thursday. Organizers have said they hope at least 2,000 people will turn out. Buses have been booked to bring rally-goers to Hartford from around the state. Governor  Malloy, both Democratic and Republican legislative leaders and victims' family members are expected to be on hand. March for Change was started by two Fairfield County-area mothers. The group says it supports "safer, rational, commonsense legislative changes" to state gun laws. The Dec. 14 shooting left 20 first graders and six educators dead.

Connecticut Bill Calls For Study Of Violent Video Games

Connecticut lawmakers are considering a bill that would create a task force charged with studying any links between violent video games and violent behavior in young people. The bill, proposed by Republican Sen. Scott Frantz of Greenwich, comes in the wake of the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. The killer, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, played violent video games but it's still not clear what led to the massacre. The General Assembly's Children Committee is scheduled to hear testimony Thursday on that bill and several others concerning children with behavior problems. One bill would create a hotline that parents of children exhibiting behavioral health issues could call for support and education. Another bill would require screenings of every child for social, emotional, behavioral and mental health.

Bridgeport, New Haven Schools Closed Rest Of Week

Bridgeport public schools will remain closed for the rest of the week as the city recovers from the weekend's massive snow storm. Bridgeport officials say 60 percent of the city's streets were opened as of Wednesday, nearly doubling the number of streets made passable during the past 24 hours. City crews are working with private contractors. Officials say about 100 vehicles including pay loaders, tri-axles and dump trucks are clearing snow from streets. The National Guard has been deployed in Bridgeport since Saturday and is helping the police and fire departments. Other cities including New Haven and New Britain also are keeping their schools closed. Waterbury schools are closed Thursday. Hartford schools will open Thursday with a one-hour delay.

Connecticut Farmers Cope With Snow-Collapsed Buildings

Many Connecticut farmers are assessing damage to their businesses after greenhouses and hoop houses collapsed following the massive snow storm that struck New England last weekend. Mark Sellew, owner of Prides Corner Farms in Lebanon, said Wednesday that 600 linear feet of greenhouse space collapsed. He operates 70 miles of greenhouses and said the damage to buildings and ornamental plants would have been worse had he not braced many greenhouses with two-by-fours. State agriculture officials say more than 120 farm buildings were damaged or destroyed. The damage is particularly hard on famers who already have coped with the recession and the weak economic recovery that followed. Much of the damage in Connecticut was to the state's nursery and landscaping businesses, which account for more than $1 billion sales.

Prosecutors Seek Dismissal Of Latest Skakel Appeal

Prosecutors want a judge to dismiss Michael Skakel's latest challenge of his 2002 murder conviction, saying the Kennedy cousin's claim that his trial attorney did a poor job should have been raised in an earlier appeal and that many of the issues he cites were previously rejected. A hearing is planned Thursday in Rockville Superior Court. Skakel, 52, is not expected to attend. Skakel's attorneys say the appeal should not be dismissed and that Skakel has a right to show he was wrongly convicted. Skakel is serving 20 years to life in prison for the fatal beating of Martha Moxley in Greenwich in 1975, when they were 15-year-old neighbors. Skakel, a nephew of Robert F. Kennedy's widow, Ethel Kennedy, recently lost a bid for parole after a hearing in which he reiterated his innocence.

Norwalk Couple Sentenced For Mortgage Fraud

Federal authorities say a 50-year-old Norwalk man has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for operating a mortgage fraud scheme. The U.S. Attorney's office said William A. Trudeau Jr. was sentenced Tuesday in New Haven to 15 years and eight months. His wife, 37-year-old Heather Bliss, received a 30-month sentence for her role in the scheme. A jury found Trudeau guilty last year of fraud charges. Bliss pleaded guilty in 2010 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three others have pleaded guilty to participating in the scheme. Authorities say Trudeau and his co-conspirators submitted false mortgage loan applications to fraudulently obtain more than $4 million in loans to purchase six properties in Westport and Newtown. They say Trudeau and Bliss will be ordered to pay restitution of more than $4.2 million.